Beverage compositions containing non-polar compounds

Abstract

Provided are beverage compositions containing non-polar compounds that retain one or more organoleptic properties after formulation as compared to beverage compositions that do not contain the non-polar compounds. Also provided are methods for producing beverage compositions that contain non-polar compounds such as essential fatty acids, including omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, conjugated fatty acids, and other fatty acids; phytochemicals, including phytosterols and carotenoids; oil soluble vitamins; alpha lipoic acid; other oils; and coenzymes, including coenzyme Q10, and other oil-based additives.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A beverage composition, comprising:
 a) a bicarbonate or carbonate in an amount between at or about 0.1% and at or about 5%, inclusive, by weight, of the composition; 
 b) an ingestible acid in an amount between at or about 0.5% and at or about 5%, inclusive, by weight, of the composition; 
 c) an antioxidant in an amount between about 0.01% and about 3%, inclusive, by weight, of the composition; 
 d) a beverage base in an amount at least about 50%, by weight, of the composition; 
 e) one or a mixture of non-polar compounds selected from among polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, omega-9 fatty acids, conjugated fatty acids, coenzyme Q-containing compounds, alpha lipoic acid, carotenoid-containing compounds, phytosterols and resveratrol in an amount between 0.05% and 15%, inclusive, by weight, of the composition; and 
 f) a pH adjuster in an amount between about 0.1% and at or about 3%, by weight of the composition, whereby: 
 the total amount of ingestible acid and pH adjuster in the composition is between about 0.6% and about 8%, by weight, of the composition; and 
 the pH of the composition is between about 2.0 to about 4.0, whereby the organoleptic properties of the beverage composition containing the one or mixture of non-polar compounds are the same or about the same, for at least a month, as the organoleptic properties of the beverage composition in the absence of the one or more non-polar compounds. 
 
     
     
       2. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the antioxidant is selected from ascorbic acid, ascorbate or a coenzyme Q-containing compound. 
     
     
       3. The beverage composition of  claim 2 , wherein the antioxidant is ascorbic acid. 
     
     
       4. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the bicarbonate or carbonate is selected from among potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate and zinc carbonate. 
     
     
       5. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the ingestible acid of b), and the pH adjuster of f) each independently is selected from among citric acid, phosphoric acid, adipic acid, ascorbic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid and maleic acid. 
     
     
       6. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the ingestible acid is citric acid. 
     
     
       7. The beverage composition of  claim 6 , wherein the citric acid is present in an amount between at or about 0.5% and at or about 4%, inclusive, by weight, of the composition. 
     
     
       8. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the non-polar compound(s) is a polyunsaturated fatty acid that is selected from among omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, omega-9 fatty acids and conjugated fatty acids. 
     
     
       9. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the non-polar compound(s) contain(s) a polyunsaturated fatty acid selected from among a docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), a fish oil, an algal oil, a flaxseed oil, a borage oil, an alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an oleic acid and a saw palmetto extract. 
     
     
       10. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the non-polar compound(s) is selected from among coenzyme Q-containing compounds, alpha lipoic acid, carotenoid-containing compounds and phytochemicals. 
     
     
       11. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the non-polar compound(s) comprise(s) one or more of:
 a coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10); 
 a carotenoid-containing compound that is selected from among lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin and mixtures of lutein and zeaxanthin; and 
 a phytochemical-containing compound that is selected from among phytosterols and resveratrol. 
 
     
     
       12. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the beverage base contains one or more of water, a juice, a juice concentrate, a juice extract or a flavor, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
       13. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the beverage base is present in an amount between at or about 55% and at or about 99%, by weight, of the composition. 
     
     
       14. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , further comprising a sweetener. 
     
     
       15. The beverage composition of  claim 14 , wherein the sweetener is selected from among sucralose, sucrose, lactose, fructose, an acesulfame salt, aspartame, saccharin, stevia, stevioside, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
       16. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a bicarbonate in an amount between at or about 0.1% and at or about 2%, inclusive, by weight, of the composition; 
 citric acid in an amount between at or about 0.5% and at or about 2.5%, inclusive, by weight, of the composition; and 
 one or a mixture of non-polar compounds selected from among fish oil and flaxseed oil, in an amount between at or about 0.1% and at or about 2%, inclusive, by weight, of the composition. 
 
     
     
       17. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a bicarbonate in an amount between at or about 0.5% and at or about 2%, inclusive, by weight, of the composition; 
 citric acid in an amount between at or about 0.5% and at or about 2.5%, inclusive, by weight, of the composition; and 
 one or a mixture of non-polar compounds selected from among fish oil and resveratrol in an amount between at or about 0.1% and at or about 1%, inclusive, by weight, of the composition. 
 
     
     
       18. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the beverage base comprises flavored water. 
     
     
       19. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the beverage base comprises between about 80% to about 99%, by weight, of the composition. 
     
     
       20. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the beverage base comprises at least about 97%, by weight, of the composition. 
     
     
       21. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the beverage base comprises water. 
     
     
       22. A container, comprising the composition of  claim 1  sealed in nitrogen. 
     
     
       23. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the pH adjuster is phosphoric acid. 
     
     
       24. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the pH adjuster is citric acid. 
     
     
       25. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the pH adjuster is present in an amount less than about 1.5%, by weight, of the composition. 
     
     
       26. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the amount of bicarbonate or carbonate in the composition is between about 0.3% and about 1.8%. 
     
     
       27. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , wherein the beverage base is present in an amount of at least about 95%, by weight, of the composition. 
     
     
       28. The beverage composition of  claim 1 , comprising a surfactant in an amount between about 0.05% and about 2.2%, by weight, of the composition. 
     
     
       29. A beverage composition, comprising in a beverage base:
 at least 0.05% up to and including 15% or about 15%, by weight, of one or a mixture of non-polar compounds selected from among polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, omega-9 fatty acids, conjugated fatty acids, coenzyme Q-containing compounds, oil soluble vitamins, alpha lipoic acid, carotenoid-containing compounds, phytosterols, resveratrol and micronutrients; and 
 a mixture of a bicarbonate or carbonate, an ingestible acid and an antioxidant, whereby the organoleptic properties of the beverage composition containing the one or a mixture of non-polar compounds are the same or about the same as the organoleptic properties of the beverage composition in the absence of the one or a mixture of non-polar compounds for at least at or about 1 month, wherein: 
 the beverage composition is for direct ingestion; 
 the beverage base comprises at least 50%, by weight, or at least about 50%, by weight, of the composition; 
 the bicarbonate or carbonate is present in an amount between at or about 0.01% and at or about 7%, inclusive, by weight, of the composition; 
 the ingestible acid is present in an amount between at or about 0.01% and at or about 5%, inclusive, by weight, of the composition; and 
 the antioxidant is present in an amount between at or about 0.01% and at or about 3%, inclusive, by weight, of the composition.